The Project

The project triggered the starting-up of markets for solar process heat by carrying out targeted market development activities, including training of professionals, information for industrial decision makers, pilot projects and the development of new services for solar contracting. The project took a strategic approach by:

implementing comprehensive regional campaigns in 6 European regions

by carrying out a broad European dissemination, including an international training seminar, to ensure the impact of the project on European level

by bringing together know-how in industrial processes (scientific partner Gertec), in solar thermal (scientific partner ISE) and in regional market development (regional partners), and by involving the main target groups - industrial and solar companies (supporting partners in the regional networks).

Duration

28 months (June 2009 - September 2011)

Partners

7 Partners including 2 scientific partners ensuring that the necessary know-how in the solar and the industry fields was at the disposal of the project partners.

Work Packages

WP1 - Project management

WP2 - Analysis

WP3 - Tools

WP4 - Regional campaigns

WP5 - Pilot projects

WP6 - New services

WP7 - European communication and dissemination

WP8 - IEE dissemination activities

For economic and technical reasons, the focus for this project will be on processes requiring temperatures below 100° C, as they are considered to be the economically most interesting for climatic and technological reasons (many solar technologies for higher temperature applications are still in the R&D phase).

Solar Process Heat

While solar heat for domestic and service applications has increasing market shares across Europe, solar process heat is very much in its infancy. The potential is enormous: about 30% of the total industrial heat demand is at temperature levels below 100°C which can be provided with commercially available solar thermal collectors. However, only about 70 installations in Europe were identified by the IEA Task 33 Solar Heat for Industrial Applications.

For economic and technical reasons, the focus for this project will be on processes requiring temperatures below 100° C, as they are considered to be the economically most interesting for climatic and technological reasons (many solar technologies for higher temperature applications are still in the R&D phase).

These processes include, for example, cleaning, drying, bleaching, colouring, blanching, cooking, painting, surface treatment, evaporation, distillation and pasteurisation. Also, when, for example, vapour at 180°C is needed, solar thermal can pre-heat water up to 100°C and then a boiler can cover the remaining temperature difference. This option will become increasingly interesting with rising gas prices. Additionally, heating of factory buildings and solar air conditioning using absorption or adsorption processes are important related application possibilities.

This table shows that several processes - especially cleaning and drying - can be found in a number of industrial sectors, however, the sectors food and beverage, textiles, leather, metal, machinery, pharmaceutical and electronic industries appear as the most promising as only an insufficient waste heat from other processes exist. In all participating regions, a sufficient number of companies in these sectors was identified.

The table excludes the sectors of pulp and paper (mostly higher temperature levels, often heat from CHP available), chemicals and rubber (mostly higher temperature levels, often high waste heat potentials), glass, cement and basic metals (mostly higher temperature levels). However, it is quite possible that interesting application possibilities also in these sectors are identified during the project.